After Anchorman and Talladega Nights, the writing team of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay moved away from characters in the public eye to the domestic setting of Step Brothers. Of course they brought John C. Reilly along with them after his virtuosic work as Cal Naughton, Jr alongside Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby. This movie spans the reaction to the revelation of merging families, that new siblings and roommates are on the horizon—it quickly goes from the worst case scenario to the best case scenario, with the two starting out as bitter rivals and quickly just becoming best friends. Yup!
It’s another one of those arrested development type stories where Ferrell and Reilly get to play these manchildren who do things like go to job interviews in tuxedos and other activities (so many activities). I’m not sure it has anything terribly profound to say about the mixed family dynamic or the nature of step-sibling relations, but the friendship these two guys form is just as cute as it is stupid and hilarious. The climactic scene that allows them to collaborate in an area that they once fought over may actually be one of the sweetest moments in a Ferrell/McKay joint to date. Oh, and Adam Scott as the insufferable successful younger brother is an absolute starmaking performance.
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